Just one of the guys

Pearlene Varjabedian was in her kitchen on an early August afternoon when her phone rang. On the other end was John Howard, the behavior management specialist for the Middlesex Sheriff's Youth Public Safety Academy (YPSA), where Pearlene’s 10-year-old son Aram was a camper. "He said, ‘P...

By Sam Perkins

The Enterprise, Brockton, MA

By Sam Perkins

Posted Sep. 13, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 13, 2013 at 1:15 PM

By Sam Perkins

Posted Sep. 13, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 13, 2013 at 1:15 PM

Bedford, Mass.

» Social News

Pearlene Varjabedian was in her kitchen on an early August afternoon when her phone rang. On the other end was John Howard, the behavior management specialist for the Middlesex Sheriff's Youth Public Safety Academy (YPSA), where Pearlene’s 10-year-old son Aram was a camper.

"He said, ‘Pearlene,’ your son made everyone cry at camp today."

It was one of the best phone calls – and happiest days -- of her life.

Aram Varjabedian is many things: He is a loving brother, son and friend. He is fiercely protective of his friends and family. He is a social butterfly who constantly engages those around him. He has an indomitable spirit, an unbridled smile and uncanny knack for bringing out the best in those around him. He is a comedian who leaves those around him laughing. He is a dancer, with a passion for both traditional Armenian dance and mainstream pop – one of his personal favorites was last summer’s hit "Gangnam Style." He is a meticulous neat-freak –show up with wrinkled cuffs and an unkempt collar and he’ll straighten out your wardrobe immediately. More than anything, he is a worker, constantly smashing, breaking through glass ceilings.

These are the traits that define Aram; the fact that he has Down syndrome does not – not to Aram, not to his family and not to his friends.

"He’s my son – he’s Aram, that’s the only way I can describe him," said Harry Varjabedian, Aram’s father and Pearlene’s husband, while watching his son study in their Hartwell Road home on a summer night.

"He’s not a boy with a disability, he’s just a great kid," said Bedford Police Officer Craig Naylor, whose son Charlie, who is not disabled, considers Aram a best friend.

Life-changing diagnosis

Moments after Aram was born in California 10 years ago, Pearlene and Harry received the diagnosis that their son was Down syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. The most common chromosome abnormality in humans, roughly one of every 691 babies born in the United States is born with Down syndrome, which is characterized by physical growth delays, facial and bone structure characteristics – such as a broad, flat face and short, stocky build – and significant intellectual disabilities.

It was delivered as a grim diagnosis.

"The doctor said, ‘He’ll never give you any trouble, because he won’t ever have a personality.’ They told us he would never make any friends, or mentally grow beyond a three-year old," said Pearlene.

It was at that moment, only minutes after birth, that the Varjabedians began advocating for their son.

"He had his first physical therapy session when he was only a few hours old," said Pearlene.

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Mainstream inclusion

Even as recently as a generation ago, Down syndrome children were isolated from society. Today, the policy of "inclusion," or "mainstreaming," in which children with Down syndrome are included in society and as part of the general student population, has come to prominence.

Numerous studies have singled out mainstream inclusion as the most beneficial practice for fostering independence and high-level functioning among students with Down syndrome. The practice has been advocated by organizations including the Special Olympics and the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress.

John Anton, Lauren Potter and Jon Stoklosa were all born with Down syndrome and all benefited from inclusion. 48-year old Anton is an advocacy specialist at the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, has interned at the State House and spent the past year living independently as an intern in Washington D.C. Potter is an actress with a recurring role on the popular television show "Glee." Stoklosa, 31, recently bench pressed 402.5 pounds while squatting and dead-lifting 440 pounds to finish third in his age group at a power lifting competition against non-disabled competitors in the state of New York. Anton, Potter and Stoklosa are just a few of the thousands of individuals with Down syndrome who now learn, work, train and live alongside their mainstream peers.

Since kindergarten, Aram has been a student in mainstream classrooms, first in California and then last year at the Lane Elementary School in Bedford.

After the initial diagnosis that he would never advance beyond an infant intellectually, Aram has blazed his own trail. He was completely potty trained by age 3 – almost the national average for non-disabled children. Aram showers and dresses himself independently – something doctors also predicted as impossible. He has performed traditional Armenian dances alongside non-disabled peers before crowds of more than 300 and is learning to read, write and speak Armenian.

"He’s incredible. His phrase that he is always saying is ‘I can do it,’ – any time people doubt him, it’s his goal to prove them wrong. He’s just incredible," said Pearlene.

While Aram’s parents view him as a hero, to his friends, he’s just one of the guys.

"Never once was it ‘Aram is my friend that’s different, or Aram is my friend who has Down syndrome,’" said Naylor of his son’s friendship with Aram, a frequent guest at the Naylor house. "It was just Aram. He’s not a different kid, he’s just a kid."

Over the summer, Aram spent time manning the counter at his parents’ convenience store in Belmont, greeting customers with a smile and pleasant greetings before giving them correct change. But the highlight of the summer was definitely Sheriff’s camp.

The winning play

Aram enrolled for a week of Sheriff’s Camp, which was run in conjunction with the Bedford Police Department, alongside more than 200 other campers from his Bedford, Billerica, TyngsboroughandWestford. Aram was the only camper with Down syndrome among the group, but none of the other campers blinked.

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"It was clear at the [camp] graduation that he was accepted and embraced by all of the other kids," said Bedford Police Chief Robert Bongiorno.

Aram’s crowning moment came during a game called "Shipwrecked,"

an elimination-based game that has the campers work within small groups to propel one of their members to the end. In the end there is one person left standing: the Shipwrecked Champion. As the game went on, the group of more than 200 campers was whittled down two cadets, including Aram. The gym erupted in a chant. "Aram, Aram, Aram!!" When Aram was declared the winner, the campers rushed the floor of the basketball court it was played on, hoisting Aram up and carrying him off the floor.

That was when Pearlene’s phone rang.

"It was just a wonderful, wonderful moment and a wonderful experience for him," said Harry.

While being included in the mainstream population has helped Aram thrive, it has also brought out the best in those around him.

"I have worked at the camp for eight years and am a classroom teacher and have never felt so fulfilled. We, the YPSA staff, are the ones who were lucky enough to have met Aram," said Howard.

"Getting to know him has brought out the best in my son and his classmates," echoed Naylor.

Currently, Bedford Public Schools does not have an inclusion program in place at Lane School, but Pearlene is hopeful that her son will be able to remain beside his friends.

"He has this spirit, and being with his friends just brings out the best in him; it pushes him and motivates him to achieve and thrive," she said.

Bedford’s Special Education Department declined comment for this story.